STEPHENVILLE – Tarleton State Basketball opens final season in Wisdom Gym with the men’s squad first exhibition on Monday night against UT-Tyler at 7 p.m.
Fans are encouraged to show out and support their 2024-25 Texans as the game will not be streamed.
Tarleton will host its first of three total games in October and November starting with Division II and Lone Star Conference member, UT-Tyler. The Texans will open its regular season home slate against former WAC foe and current CUSA member on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m.
The Texans return Freddy Hicks for his final collegiate season after spending his first three with the Purple and White. Hicks was named preseason All-WAC for the second time in his career earlier this month. During his time with the Texans, he leads the program in seven statistical categories in the Division I era. As the leader in points, he is just 66 points from being the first 1,000-point scorer in the Texans’ D1 era. Hicks leads the program in free throws made (327), free throws attempted (437), total rebounds (410), defensive rebounds (297), rebounds per game (5.5) and points (934).
The Texans were projected to finish sixth in the league by the coaches, released on the same day.
The Purple and White will face a grueling schedule in its 2024 non-conference slate. The Texans will compete on the road against six Power Four conference schools, including AP-ranked number eight, Baylor in Waco. The Texans are set to face Michigan and Grand Canyon who also received votes in the preseason AP Poll.
The Texans will head internationally to the Bahamas for its MTE this season at the Baha Mar Nassau Championship. Tarleton will compete against Iona, Hofstra and 2024 NIT-Semifinalist Indiana State in the three-day event.
Billy Gillispie will be at the helm of the program for his fifth season in Stephenville. Last season, Gillispie took medical leave after the first four games of the season. Gillispie currently has 191 total victories, just nine short of 200.
Last season, the Texans set numerous program records. Tarleton’s 25 wins was the most in its Division I era. The squad set a new program record with 16 conference victories. For the first time in school history, the Texans reached the WAC semifinals, earning the second seed in the tournament. After a heart-breaking one-point loss on a last-second shot, the Texans earned a bid to the College Insider.com Tournament. The Texans won a pair of games to be crowned the Lou Henson Classic Champions and reach the CIT semifinals.
Sophomores Bubu Benjamin and Izzy Miles return from last season’s team and are expected to provide on a large impact on the 2024-25 squad.
Tarleton will begin the regular season on the road for the fourth consecutive season and the first time in the state of Texas. The Texans will make the less than two-hour trip to Dallas to take on the SMU Mustangs at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 4.
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